News

2013-08-09 09:54:32.28

Player Wins Harley-Davidson® on Second Chance

If two lessons can be learned from motorcycle enthusiast Stephen Morrison, it’s that people should never give up on their dreams and also ignore naysayers along the way. The 48-year-old Danville, Iowa, resident took his optimistic attitude and some Missouri Lottery luck all the way to the top. His fantasy of owning a limited-edition Harley-Davidson® has come to fruition. He entered a non-winning “Harley-Davidson” Scratchers ticket into the “Ticket To Ride” second-chance promotion on July 11, and he won the grand prize, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

After a ceremonial presentation on Aug. 9, Morrison rode off the lot at St. Charles Harley-Davidson, 3808 West Clay St. in St. Charles, on a customized Screaming Eagle CVO 110th Anniversary Road Glide, complete with add-ons. According to Patrick Lowth, a sales representative at the dealership, the bike has “everything.” Not only does the model tote anti-lock brakes, a security and stereo sound system and an engine and motor customized by the sought-after brand, Lowth considers the bike “really rare” for another reason.

“I think there are only 1,100 in the world,” Lowth said. “It’s definitely upper-echelon.”

In addition to the bike already essentially being “one of a kind,” Morrison upped the ante.

“He (Morrison) sat down with our parts guy, and I think he hashed out some more goodies for the bike,” Lowth clarified.

Morrison, a truck driver, started buying “Harley-Davidson” Scratchers tickets last spring on his daily route from Waterloo, Iowa, to Quincy, Ill. While some players are motivated by large instant-win cash prizes, like the game’s $75,000 top prize, Morrison bought tickets hoping to win a second-tier prize, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

After falling short of instantly winning a motorcycle on the Scratchers game, he started to throw his tickets away. Luckily, on one of his trips to Ayerco, a clerk informed him about the “Ticket To Ride” second-chance promotion that awarded Harley-Davidson motorcycles as the grand prize. He began to keep his tickets, adding that a stack “sat on the dash” of his truck until July 4.

“My girlfriend cleaned my truck, and she goes, ‘What do you want to do with these?’” Morrison reminisced.

The timing couldn’t have been better, because the fourth and final “Ticket To Ride” entry deadline was approaching fast. He informed his girlfriend that he had the chance of winning a motorcycle if he entered the drawing, to which he recalled, “She laughed at me.”

When the winners were announced on July 11, Morrison “thought it was a joke.”

After researching the promotion on the Missouri Lottery’s website, MOLottery.com, and seeing his name published as the grand-prize winner, he “called about three people and said, ‘Go get on your computer! Is this true, or am I seeing things?’”

The arguably sweetest victory might’ve been when Morrison shared the news with his non-believing girlfriend, who thought he had to have been playing a prank on her.

“She goes, ‘It’s a good thing I didn’t throw those away,” he said with a laugh, joking that he tells people, “I’m a loser, but I’m a winner.”

“Harley-Davidson” is a $5 Scratchers ticket that officially started on March 11. In addition to the opportunity to win a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, players can also win up to $75,000 instantly.

Players could enter their non-winning “Harley-Davidson” Scratchers tickets into one of four drawings in the Lottery’s “Ticket To Ride” promotion to win: a Harley-Davidson motorcycle of their
choice (up to $21,000 value) or $21,000 cash; a $500 cash prize; or an officially licensed Harley-Davidson merchandise prize pack.